JR East’s earthquake-resistant Shinkansen system rollout

The earthquake-resistant Shinkansen system developed by JR East is designed to reduce derailment risk during earthquakes.

As reported by RailwayPro, the East Japan Railway operator says the devices are called lateral seismic dampers. They are meant to control side-to-side railcar movement during seismic activity. Installation on Shinkansen trains is set to begin gradually in the fall of 2027. It will continue through fiscal year 2032.

How the earthquake-resistant Shinkansen system works?

According to JR East, the new shock absorbers could reduce derailment risk by about 50%. This applies in an earthquake of similar intensity. The devices are installed between the car body and the bogies. They are typically used to reduce vibration and improve ride comfort. In addition, this updated version has a reinforced design. It is built to absorb stronger oscillations generated by seismic activity.

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JR East and RTRI based the system on 2004 lessons

The system was developed with the Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRI). It draws on lessons from the 2004 earthquake in Niigata Prefecture. That earthquake had a magnitude of 6.8. After that event, a Joetsu Shinkansen train derailed. It marked the first such incident in the commercial operation of high-speed trains in Japan, as JR East noted in its 2005 annual report. Meanwhile, no passengers or crew were injured.

E5, E6, E7 and E8 series included in the programme

JR East plans to install the system on E5, E6, E7, and E8 series trains. Also, the programme is expected to cost about 10 billion yen. At the same time, that equals roughly EUR 55 million.

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